"We are standing together in the belief that Minnesota can move forward," said Peter Hutchinson, the IP-endorsed candidate for Governor. "We will show through our campaign and the way we do our jobs as leaders that we can work well as a team and make positive progress on Minnesotans' highest priorities."

Team Minnesota is running one unified campaign for the state's five executive offices. Together, the candidates are focusing on four core issues - health care, education, transportation and environment/energy - that will move Minnesota forward.

"Minnesotans want leaders who are not bound by the extreme partisanship of the Republicans or the DFL. Team Minnesota offers independent-minded voters that choice," added IP Lt. Governor Candidate Maureen Reed.

"Team Minnesota is dedicated to giving Minnesotans their money's worth from their executive officers. In other parties, candidates for these offices campaign separately with their own priorities, visions and messages. They are a ticket, not a team," said Lucy Gerold, IP candidate for State Auditor.

"This scenario fails to give Minnesotans the leadership they pay for," said John James, IP Attorney General candidate. "Team Minnesota stands out from the extremism of the other parties."

Joel Spoonheim, IP candidate for Secretary of State, added, "Through collaboration and one unified agenda, Team Minnesota is committed to providing citizens the top leadership they deserve."

TEAM MINNESOTA

Peter Hutchinson has a strong policy background in business, government and non-profit enterprises. Through his work, including as Minnesota's Commissioner of Finance, Minneapolis Superintendent of Schools and co-founder of The Public Strategies Group, Inc., Peter is known and respected as a creative thinker and institutional leader. As Governor, Peter will serve as the state's chief executive and the convener and manager of Team Minnesota. He will work with the team to set priorities, frame the agenda, develop an action plan and employ their combined authority, responsibility and resources to gain the maximum leverage for success.

Dr. Maureen Reed has dedicated her career to delivering better health outcomes for Minnesotans. She is a physician and has been the Medical Director for HealthPartners. Maureen was elected by the Legislature to the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, served two terms and was the Chair. As Team Minnesota's Lt. Governor, Maureen will be a full partner in setting priorities and directing the resources of state government to improve results. She also will lead the reform of health care - one of our main things. Health care represents both the greatest threat to our prosperity and, if reinvented, a potent competitive advantage.

John James is experienced as both a business and tax attorney and a public sector executive. He was Minnesota's Commissioner of Revenue in the late 1980s, leading a number of reform efforts. John is currently on the board of directors of the law firm of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg. As Team Minnesota's Attorney General, John will represent the state as the "people's lawyer." And, he'll make sure the state's laws make sense and that compliance with those laws increases. John will help our team shape the laws as needed to make the main things happen in education, health, transportation and the environment.

Lucy Gerold is a transformational leader with a track record of turning around organizations and inspiring outstanding performance. She has worked in the Minneapolis Police Department in several capacities, including as a Deputy Chief. She led the implementation of the department's pioneering CODEFOR crime reduction and accountability strategies. As Team Minnesota's Auditor, Lucy will help improve the performance of local governments through leadership and partnership. She'll collaborate to deliver better results - as opposed to just calling news conferences to highlight mistakes and misdeeds.

Joel Spoonheim has focused on making democracy work to fix communities and organizations so that they can deliver better results for those they serve. He is currently the Economic & Redevelopment Director for the City of Brooklyn Park, where he is helping to lead that city's revitalization efforts. He is a co-founder of Civics Connection, an organization committed to building the next generation of civic leaders. As Team Minnesota's Secretary of State, Joel will be the state's champion for democracy and citizen engagement. Citizens are increasingly cynical and disengaged from the electoral process and participation in governance. Joel will make civic engagement in all its forms - in-person, on-line, and through the media - the top priority of his office.